Help us make a difference!

Unified Sports®

In a Unified basketball game between host Egypt and Algeria, Esraa Hussien of Egypt looks up before shooting. Basketball was one of several sports played that featured teams of people with and without intellectual disabilities.

Team sports bring people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams do that, too and much more. Half a million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports, breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way.

Members of the unified soccer team for Special Olympics New Jersey saw the new unified sports legislation signed into law. Learn More

Dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences, Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability, which makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.

U.S. States Embracing Unified Sports

Young people with disabilities don't often get a chance to play on their school sports teams, but more and more U.S. states are adopting the unified sports approach that Special Olympics pioneered. The governor of New Jersey just signed a bill into law that encourages schools to make opportunities for sports participation available to all students. Special Olympics New Jersey, which championed the new law, is cited in the new law as a consulting organization. For almost 20 years, Special Olympics has offered sport teams that blend people with and without intellectual disabilities, and that is a model that encourages sports and fun, and which also gets people together to learn more about each other. Read more about the new law in our press release.

Building Unified Sports With ESPN and Disney

The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Special Olympics have announced a two-year global initiative that will leverage the power of sports to promote an environment of social inclusion and acceptance through the Special Olympics Unified Sports program. With a multi-million dollar financial and in-kind investment, Disney and ESPN will support Special Olympics’ goal of registering one million Unified Sports participants--athletes with intellectual disabilities, teammates without intellectual disabilities and coaches--by 2015. Read more about this exciting news.

In addition, thanks to the generosity of Special Olympics Board Member Kim Samuel and her family’s foundation, Special Olympics has been able to build capacity for Unified Sports through technology, enhanced education materials and seed grants to Special Olympics Programs that would not otherwise have the funds to start or expand Unified Sports.

Downloads and Links

Quizzes

July 02, 2015 | Europe Eurasia: Estonia

First Unified Basketball Team in Estonia: "Everybody’s equal on the basketball court"

By Tiina Möll

The first Unified Estonian basketball team.

In Viljandimaa, Estonia, a Unified Basketball team was formed last year. We had a chance to hear the coach, Kuuno Tiitus, reflect on his experiences.View Story ▼In Viljandimaa, Estonia, a Unified Basketball team was formed last year. We had a chance to hear the coach, Kuuno Tiitus, reflect on his experiences.
In this particular case, one can truly say that the coach was initially the unifying element – he had been coaching a basketball team made up of SO athletes for several years and at one point decided to invite some players from another team he was coaching to join the game as partners. This is how the Unified team was born. The athletes and partners, all of whom are students or alumni of three schools in the area, had until then occasionally been in contact through various school or sports events but they had not played together until last year. Now, especially with the World Games approaching, they play together at least once per week.
Kuuno Tiitus stresses that everybody has very equal skills and abilities and they play similarly on the court – there is no differentiation between who is with and who is without intellectual disability. „

About Tiina Möll:I work with Special Olympics in Estonia.

June 25, 2015 | Europe Eurasia: Turkey

Families stand behind Unified School Program in Turkey

By Özge Özkan

Parents are weighing in on the value of the Unified Schools Program in Turkey. Muradiye Akalar is the mother of twins Aral and Ural, aged 4, who participate in inclusive equestrian activities in Samsun on the north coast of Turkey. “I don’t want people to look at my children in a different way."View Story ▼Parents are weighing in on the value of the Unified Schools Program in Turkey. Muradiye Akalar is the mother of twins Aral and Ural, aged 4, who participate in inclusive equestrian activities in Samsun on the north coast of Turkey. “I don’t want people to look at my children in a different way. Through this program, all children, with and without disabilities, share the same environment. This has helped me and my children become more confident.” Sabahat Demirtaş and Tuncay Demirtaş, also from Samsun, can see the impact of the program on their daughter, Buket, aged 28, a swimmer. “Buket feels free and happy in the water and it is good to see her make new friends and gain confidence when she interacts with Unified partners,” said her mother Sabahat. The Unified Schools Program, supported by the Sabanci Foundation, involves 800 children and youths from schools, clubs and universities who participate in inclusive sport, education and volunteering activities.

About Özge Özkan :Özge Özkan is involved in community impact initiatives in Special Olympics Turkey including Youth and Schools and Healthy Athletes.

June 23, 2015 | Europe Eurasia: Turkey

Unified Schools Program in Turkey adds value to volunteer's life

By Özge Özkan

First-time volunteer Leylanur Taç.

Since 1 October 2014 Special Olympics Turkey has been running a Unified Schools Program with the support of the Sabanci Foundation. Through the program, 800 children and youth are participating in inclusive sport, education and volunteering activities.View Story ▼Since 1 October 2014 Special Olympics Turkey has been running a Unified Schools Program with the support of the Sabanci Foundation. Through the program, 800 children and youth aged 9 to 25, from more than 15 mainstream schools, special education centers, local sports clubs and universities are participating in inclusive sport, education and volunteering activities. One of the new volunteers is Leylanur Taç, a 20-year-old first-year student at Ondokuz Mayıs University Physical Education and Sports Teacher College in Sansun, Black Sea port city. Taç thinks the program is a unique opportunity that interests her intellectually and emotionally. “I am willing to participate in all activities that help persons with intellectual disabilities gain acceptance in public. I am happy to be a volunteer and feel I have gained a lot from being involved in the program. Now, adapted physical education is an area of study I would consider studying in the future.”

About Özge Özkan :Özge Özkan is involved in community impact initiatives within Special Olympics Turkey, including Youth and Schools and Healthy Athletes.

Do You Have a Story to Share?

Got news or a great Unified Sports® story to share? Share with our online form.

Unified Sports® Events

Date

Event

Location

August 13, 2015

Unified Sports Golf Tournament

Join us August 13th in Douglas, Wyoming as our athletes compete and show their skill in golf competition. Come and cheer on our athletes and witness the power of sports. For more details please use the contact information below.For more informationMore DetailsSpecial Olympics WyomingPhone:307-235-3062 View More

Douglas, WyomingUNITED STATES

September 08, 2015

Unified 9-Hole Golf Tournament

Join us September 8th at Lakewood Golf Course in Madison, Maine as our athletes compete and show their skill in Unified golf competition. Come and cheer on our athletes and witness the power of sports. For more details please use the contact information below.For more informationMore DetailsSpecial Olympics MainePhone:207-879-0489 View More

Made Possible by The Annenberg Foundation

The Special Olympics movement is profoundly grateful for the support of the Annenberg Foundation which has underwritten the production of the coaches’ guides and resources, supporting our global goals for coaches’ excellence.